Creator of ‘Will & Grace’ Donates Gay-Themed ‘Marlon Bundo’ Book to Indiana Schools

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There are three things in this life that I love: Will & Grace, books, and gay rabbits; so you can imagine how hoppy (rabbit pun number 1) this story makes me.

On March 18, comedian and host of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver, announced the release of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a children's book meant to parody Marlon Bundo's: A Day in the Life of the Vice President, written and illustrated by members of Vice President Mike Pence's family.

Both books follow Marlon Bundo—pet rabbit of the Veep's daughter Charlotte—as he journeys around D.C. The main difference being the Oliver-promoted book sees Marlon Bundo fall in love with another male rabbit named Wesley, a nice zing since Pence is a known homophobe. 

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This week, one of Will & Grace’s creators, Max Mutchnik has donated a copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo to every elementary school in the Pence's home state of Indiana, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

In a letter to the librarians of Indiana's elementary schools, Mutchnick explains his reasoning.

I would like to donate this copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo to your library. After hearing about the book, I brought it home and read it to my twin daughters. It's a poignant story about how love and community can rise above intolerance.

 

I was blown away by the new John Oliver children’s book, “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.” With Easter upon us, I wanted to not only support the brilliance of John Oliver, but also celebrate the Gayest Bunny of Them All: The Easter Bunny. So I decided to buy a copy of Oliver’s “Bundo” (written by Jill Twiss) for every public grammar school in Indiana. All 1,121 of them. Here’s why: Mike Pence has had an enormous platform in Indiana, and as it relates to gay people, he’s used it to spread a message of intolerance. By donating these books, I hope to counter those efforts and provide positive role models and a story of inclusion for children in Pence’s home state. If this book can help one boy or girl in Indiana love and accept who they are, I know both Marlon Bundos would be proud—even though one of them is on the downlow.

A post shared by Max Mutchnick (@maxmutchnick) on

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In 1998 Mutchnick along with fellow writer and producer David Kohan created the award winning show Will & Grace, which became the first TV series to feature gay men in leading roles. The series ended after 8 seasons in 2006, was revived in 2017, and has already been picked up for an additional 2 seasons. 

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo is a hare-raising adventure (final rabbit pun) written by Jill Twiss, a writer on Oliver's Last Week Tonight show, and illustrated by E.G. Keller and available in print and audiobook. 

1 thought on “Creator of ‘Will & Grace’ Donates Gay-Themed ‘Marlon Bundo’ Book to Indiana Schools”

  1. Yes the parody is funny, and

    Yes the parody is funny, and yes what Mutchnick did is clever, but the parody is not a children’s book, it is a swipe st the VP. I have no problem with swipes at the VP, but let’s leave elementary school children out of it.

    Reply

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